1000 Years
by Midnight KAT04
Summary: A chapter to fill in the year-long gap that came after Tartaros, written to pair with the song titled. CONTAINS SPOILERS. Rated T for implied nudity.


**A/N: Hope you guys enjoy this story! Basically a small snippet of Lucy's life after Tartaros and after the 1 year gap. If you haven't gotte that far yet in the anime/manga then there are SPOILERS. Written to the song 1000 years by Cristina Perry. Let me know what you think! Also, I do not own Fairy Tail or the song.**

 ** _Bolded, italicized text is anything that's coming directly from the anime_**

 _Italicized text are thoughts or for emphasis._

Lucy

 ** _Lucy was finally making her way home after the defeat of Tartaros._**

 ** _"_** ** _I sense someone inside…" She says to herself. "Must be Natsu and Happy." She was kind of relieved they were there, but mostly upset. They really shouldn't be barging into someone's home like this._**

 ** _"_** ** _I can't believe you barged into my place again!" She yells. But, instead of being greeted by their normal sass, all is quiet, there are no lights on, and there is surely no one there. "Wait…what?"_**

 **** ** _She scans the room for any sign of life but all that's out of place is, "A letter?"_**

 **** ** _Sure, the handwriting is terrible, but what it says is even worse:_**

 ** _"_** ** _Me and Happy are going on a journey to train. I'll be back in a year so give everyone my regards. Later, Lucy!"_**

 **** ** _She ran off without even thinking about where she was going, just running and hoping to catch them as they left- somehow._**

 ** _"_** ** _What are you thinking running off like that?" She cries, tears streaming down her face as she pictures Aquarius' broken key sitting on her desk. "That'll…that'll…leave me feeling lonely, you dummy!"_**

And it did. Lucy couldn't keep track of how long or far she ran that night, but for every hour she was running she was crying as well. She'd just lost Aquarius and now, when she needed her best friend the most, he was gone, too. She kept going until she reached her apartment again in the beginning hours of morning, with no sign of neither Natsu nor Happy. She crawled into bed but found she couldn't sleep so she just lay there until it was late enough for her to head to the guild hall—well what was left of it anyway.

Getting out of bed just a few hours later, Lucy sighed at her reflection in the mirror, hoping a nice shower would make her look and feel better. She sighed as she picked up the letter again, wanting more than anything to destroy it but not being able to. Finally, she resolved to set it next to Aquarius' key, which was by the letters she wrote to her late mother. _Great, a collection of everything that I've lost._ She smirked to herself. _At least I have Fairy Tail._ She walked out the door and headed for the demolished guild hall, wondering if they would begin repairs today.

Everyone there looked in about as bad of condition that she was in. There was none of the usual rowdiness; just a bunch of morose wizards trying to figure out what to do next. They were all gathered around Master, seeming to be waiting for something.

"Well, Lucy's here now. That just leaves Natsu and Happy."

"They won't be coming." Lucy said as she made it to the group. "They left a letter at my apartment last night. They're gone for a year—training he said."

"Well it's a shame he can't be here to hear this from me. I guess it may be for the best." Makarov cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "My children, I have some sensitive news to share with you. In light of recent events, and I have done a lot of thinking about this, I have made the decision to disband Fairy Tail." Shouts of anger, confusion, and despair rang out among the crowd, no one wanting to believe what they were hearing. Lucy's ears just rang with the noise, unable to pull herself from her place of despair.

"Now listen up, all of you!" Makarov's voice was loud enough to make everyone stop talking immediately. "This was a hard decision for me to make, but it is final. I want each of you to follow your own path; go wherever your heart takes you. Natsu and Happy have already begun that journey and I want all of you to do the same. Do not lose heart. Do not ever let yourself be swayed by obstacles. You all will always have been proud Fairy Tail wizards." Makarov held up his thumb and first finger in what had become Fairy Tail's trademark hand sign. Everyone, even Lucy, did it back, all of them feeling quite a bit more sadness than before.

Afterwards, everyone began milling around talking, no one entirely sure where to go for the moment and no one wanting to believe that it was all over. Levy and Wendy ran found Lucy first.

"I just can't believe I'm losing my family again." Cried Wendy. Even Carla was tearing up, cursing the tomcat for just leaving.

"I know. It's horrible. But I'm sure we'll all find a path that makes us happy, right Lu?" Levy chimed in.

Lucy did her best to perk up enough to talk. "Y-yeah." Her voice broke, betraying her terribly.

"Are you okay?"

"It's just hard to believe, that's all."

"Lucy, if something's bothering you, you need to tell us." Erza said, walking over after having overheard their conversation. Lucy sighed, knowing her friends at least deserved to know what was going on inside of her head. She let everything spill out at once; every bit of pain came flowing out of her and not in tears this time but in harsh words that cut like daggers.

"I've lost everything. During Tartaros, in an attempt to defeat Jackal and Mard Geer and free you guys, I summoned the Celestial Spirit King. In order to do that, I had to break one of my keys. It was Aquarius. Now, when I need everyone, you're all leaving. Natsu and Happy already took off and they couldn't have been bothered to stick around long enough for a proper goodbye. Now my guild—my family—is gone and there's nothing I can do about it. Nothing but sit and watch my world fall apart."

Levy, Erza, and Wendy all gathered around her, embracing her. "We aren't leaving you for good, Lucy. We will all see each other again, I'm sure of it. Even so, whether near or far, we will all always be in each other's heats, supporting each other wherever the wind may take us." Erza's words stuck with Lucy. Their love in that moment helped her perk up and gain enough sense to say goodbye to everyone before heading home. Once home, though, she couldn't help but feel the hurt and sadness wash over her once more. She never went to find anybody, to figure out what they would be doing. She didn't think of anything she wanted to do. It was days before she could get up again. Two thoughts that freed Lucy from her self-imposed state of stasis. One was that Erza's words finally found their place in Lucy's heart, reminding her that wherever they all were, they still needed support and she would believe in them and await their return. The second, and maybe largest motivator, was that she had the promise of Natsu returning in just one year.

For that year, Lucy could explore any career; and for that year she became first a model for "Sorcerer Weekly," then an editor-in-training for the same magazine. There was a little under a year left until the next Grand Magic Games; a little under a year until Lucy would begin to reunite with those that meant everything to her.

Natsu

"Natsu, do you really need to challenge the winner?"

"Of course. Fairy Tail isn't competing, and neither is any other truly strong guild. This fight's gotta be boring, don't ya think? I'm just here to show them who the strongest guild really is!"

"Aye, Sir! Just don't go overboard this time!" Happy shouted to his friend.

"There have to be other Fairy Tail wizards here somewhere. Maybe they're just hard for me to find, what with not seeing them for a year and the number of people that are here…Happy as soon as I go out there, I need you to look for anyone we know, got it?" He was confident that no matter how much destruction he caused, no matter how many people would be afraid, no one from Fairy Tail was ever going to run from a fight. "Man, they'll be so excited to see how strong I've gotten!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy flew happily beside Natsu as they looked for a way into the stadium.

Getting in was easy. None of the guards had the hearing and smell abilities that Natsu had. All he had to do was choose the right moment to slip by them and he was home free. Getting to the arena was easy as well; everyone was so wrapped up in the fight a hooded intruder and his flying cat would go completely unnoticed.

A while later, at the beginning of the final showdown between Scarmiglione and Dullahan Head, Natsu turned to Happy. "I'm going in ass soon as one of these guys loses. Go look for more of Fairy Tail." What he really hoped was that Happy would find Lucy first. He wanted so badly for her to see what he could do. He also had this feeling that he was guilty of something, of causing her some kind of pain… He shook the feeling off. He was sure she'd been alright—she did have all of Fairy Tail to keep her company while he was gone. Besides, now was the time for fighting.

Happy flew off, already knowing who Natsu needed him to find. He went as fast as he could. Judging by the sounds from the crowd the fight was going pretty quick so he knew his time was limited.

Lucy

 ** _"_** ** _They're definitely tough, but I wouldn't say they're Fiore's best…" Lucy mumbled to herself, paying to mind to the overly excited Jason at her side. It hadn't even been that exciting of a fight. There was so little to truly write about. That's when the crowd suddenly fell silent and Lucy felt an overwhelming sense of magic power that brought her attention to the stadium entrance below her to the right._**

 **** ** _A figure in a black hood slowly walked out into the stadium. The power rolling off him was so great, Lucy began to fear it was another attack from Zeref. "This sensation…so much magic power." She immediately turned to Jason and shouted, "Evacuate everyone immediately!"_**

 **** ** _But it was no use, because right then was when a wave of power—no heat—burst through the entire stadium. He was speaking with Scarmiglione, but it was too loud where Lucy was to hear what exactly they were saying to one another. The figure's intentions became somewhat clear when he sent a huge blast of fire right at them._**

 ** _"_** ** _We need wizards who can fight!" She shouted, but of course this was lost in the chaos throughout the stadium as two flames soared through it, causing an explosion and heat wave that was so intense that everyone's clothing and even the entire stadium began to melt. Most people chose to run then, knowing better than to try and fight something they clearly couldn't beat. But Lucy just stood there, wheels in the back of her brain turning, clicking into place, hope welling inside her._**

 ** _"_** ** _Natsu!" She cried, seeing his familiar pink hair, now grown much longer than she'd ever seen it. That was when Happy finally found her, "Long time no see, Lucy!" She turned to see the blue cat flying behind her. "Happy! Is this…?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah, Natsu insisted on fighting whoever won the tournament, so…"_**

 **** ** _Despite the unconscious state of the other guild members, Natsu was still looking for a fight, but those who would challenge him were few and quickly beaten; soon the whole stadium besides Natsu, Lucy, and Happy was cleared out._**

 **** ** _Finally, everything cooled off and Natsu finally took a look around, his eyes quickly going to where Lucy and Happy were and he couldn't have been more ecstatic._**

"Happy, bring Lucy down!"

"Aye sir!" He picked up Lucy, grumbling something about her weight. She didn't care, though. Her best friends were finally home and it felt as if nothing had changed. Her heart pounded; she was completely unsure of what she was feeling. Was it hope that Natsu coming back meant Fairy Tail could once again thrive? Or was it something more; something she hadn't let herself feel for him for fear of losing their friendship?

He was there, alone, beaming directly at her like his day was as good as it was ever going to get. That smile told her that at the very least she wasn't just an ordinary friend to him. She knew they were close but the way he was watching her, waiting for Happy to finally get there, told her how much he'd missed her too.

 ****She got down and immediately enveloped the both of them in a hug. Pulling away, though, a small issue was pointed out to her.

"Uhhhh, Luce…" Natsu said, blushing.

She looked down at her nearly bare body, heat creeping into her cheeks, quickly covering what she could. _I can't believe I forgot._ She sighed mentally. _Well it's not like this didn't use to happen all the time. Still…_

"Natsu, you went way overboard _again_! Can't you go a day without destroying anything?" She couldn't keep the scolding tone in her voice, especially as he averted his eyes and had Happy grab his vest from his pack. She used it to cover what she could, since everything had been nearly destroyed.

He finally looked at her once she got the vest on. It covered enough, but not quite everything. Still, better than nothing, right? He couldn't believe he'd left this for an entire year. He should've taken her with him. She looked different now, like no matter how big her smile was her eyes told a different story. _Probably just a failed job. We always did work better as a team and now we can again. I bet she's gotten a lot stronger, too._

He pulled her in for another hug, this one much less awkward now that she was mostly dressed. _Missed ya, Luce_ , he thought.

"I missed you too, Natsu." He jumped a little, not having realized he'd spoken out loud, causing Lucy to giggle. He liked knowing he was missed, that he was important. In that moment he had his two best friends with him. He looked up and grinned at Happy, getting a smile in return. Even when the royal guard came to take him and Happy into custody, he didn't worry. He and Happy reassured Lucy that getting out of this should be no problem; after all the King, Princess, and Captain were all really good friends of theirs.

Lucy managed to not get questioned by the guard; they'd seen enough to know she wasn't involved in the stunt he pulled. Plus, the King had already made that decision and made it clear she was to stay out of it. Lucy watched as Natsu was led away, knowing it wouldn't take long for him to be let go. She waited for him, right at the palace entrance. After running home and changing into something more suitable for public wear, that is.

 _Finally_ , Lucy thought as Natsu came striding out. She'd been waiting for so long for this moment; the moment that she would get to see him again. _Even if we only stay friends, that would be fine. Just as long as I never have to lose him again._ She'd felt as if she'd been slowly deteriorating ever since he left and that no matter what she'd been doing with her life she couldn't be whole again.

She became so overwhelmed with joy that she engulfed him once again in an extremely tight hug, which she was thankful to note that he returned. It was then that she started crying again, but this time it was out of happiness and relief instead of sadness.

Natsu noticed her tears, lifting her chin and saying, "Hey, Luce, why are ya crying? What happened?"

"I'm just…so happy to see you again."

He acted on instinct, not fully aware himself of what he was doing. His hand found its way to the back of her head and pulled her back against his chest, resting his head atop hers and breathing in her scent. She relaxed immediately despite his absence. It baffled him slightly the same way it did the first time they met, not even knowing him and still getting him food. Trusting him enough to tell him one of her biggest dreams even when she thought he couldn't make it come true. His memory was bad; he didn't even know what he'd done to please the king so much. But he could remember a lot of the good things in his life, like joining Fairy Tail, meeting Lisanna and the rest of the guild family, getting Happy, and finally meeting Lucy. _His_ Lucy.

When he'd pulled her head to his chest, Lucy could feel her body instinctively relax. She hadn't realized how hurt and tensed up she had been since he left until this moment. She finally had a piece of her Fairy Tail family back and she wasn't about to lose it. He was holding her and she hoped he would never let go. _But of course he has to…_ She didn't waste a moment in re-memorizing his features; how his heart hammered a steady rhythm and how he smelled like a wildfire. How his skin on hers felt almost too hot, but soothingly so.

"Natsu?" She questioned, looking up and blushing heavily as her face ended up inches from his. Every fiber of her being wanted to stretch up just a little higher, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She finally gets a friend—her best friend—back and makes it awkward? No way was that about to happen.

"Yeah?" He asked, voice a little husky. He hadn't expected the proximity and it made his chest ache in a funny way. For a fleeting moment he thought about closing the gap, but pushed the thought away. No way was he gonna disappear for, umm, a long time and try to make a move on his best human friend.

He cleared his throat and tried again, forcing a smile. "What's up, Luce?"

"Thank you for finding me." She said quietly, each of them taking a small step away from each other.

"Anytime, Luce. I'll always come for ya." He replied, a huge smile decorating his face, earning one of hers in return.

They smiled at each other, both yelling "No we're not," and blushing fiercely when Happy exclaimed "You're in loooove."

 **I know, I know I have some very angry NaLu fans right about now. All I have to say is that originally, I was going to have Happy scold them for being so dense and dramatically throw Lucy into Natsu and they'd kiss. I couldn't do it. I tried and no matter how I wrote it, it seemed wrong. Those two are still too dense to realize their feelings for each other are mutual. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it despite me ruining your dreams! Hahaha. Have a good day.**


End file.
